


Somewhere Between

by freezerjerky



Series: The Passage of Time [3]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Booty Calls, M/M, Misunderstandings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-08
Updated: 2016-10-08
Packaged: 2018-08-20 04:44:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,880
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8236525
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/freezerjerky/pseuds/freezerjerky
Summary: They've slept together fourteen times before Merlin starts to worry about what exactly to label their relationship. (Not that Merlin's keeping exact count.)





	

They've slept together fourteen times before Merlin starts to worry about what exactly to label their relationship. (Not that Merlin's keeping exact count.) Of course, of those fourteen times, some have been repeat performances and four of them have been after events that could be considered dates. Then there's the night out where they ended up snogging in a back booth at a gay bar before they both realized they were too drunk to do anything further so they headed home separately.

The issue is that, just over a month ago, Merlin was the person managing Arthur's day to day life and he knows for a fact that Arthur doesn't really do relationships often. Most of the people he sees don't get much further past the five dates they've had, if they're lucky enough to have gotten past the first date at all. Arthur's good looking and honest enough about his intentions, usually, but Merlin feels left in the dark and more than a bit confused. He likes Arthur, as in fancies the trousers off of him likes him. They have a natural and easy chemistry and he likes chipping away at the layers of the other man. He also likes sleeping with Arthur and it's not that he'd mind hooking up with him just for hooking up's sake but he also knows he'll get disappointed if he's led to believe it's more. That's what makes it worse; Arthur's either leading him on completely or they're embarking on an actual relationship. He's known this since their first date and he didn't realize it would bother him.

Merlin's waiting around about two days after their fifth date to see if Arthur's going to bring up the subject of a sixth. Arthur's always the one to initiate and that's more than fine by him. He suspects Arthur's used to being the one to ask someone out first. Nonetheless, it's a Saturday night and he'd mumbled some excuse to Gwaine earlier about not going out and now he's committed to whatever Arthur suggests or being miserable. He tries to ignore his phone, reading from his stack of books he leaves laying beside his bed. (A glorified mattress on the floor.)

When the unmistakeable ping goes off he forces himself to finish reading his page before reading the text. "In the neighbourhood. Can I come by?" it reads. He can't imagine what reason Arthur has for being in Shoreditch on a Saturday night, but he's not going to question it. "Could just leave you wandering around Shoreditch, there's some good pubs about." He wonders what Arthur will text in reply to that, but he receives no reply until the knock on his door about ten minutes later.

"Come in, it's unlocked!" he calls out, rolling onto his back as he reads. 

Sure enough, Arthur strides in a moment later, moving to stand by Merlin's mattress once he's removed his shoes.

"I could have been a murderer, you know. And you just called to let me in."

Merlin sits up and bats his eyes at Arthur a few times, playing the part of the innocent victim. "Coming to murder me in my bed, then?"

"First of all," Arthur begins. He kneels down to move onto the mattress. "This hardly counts as a bed. Second, murder isn't really the verb I have in mind right now."

 

After they've shagged for the fifteenth, sixteenth, and seventeenth time that night and morning, Merlin realizes that they should probably actually talk about a label. Arthur, not a mind reader by any means, leaves before breakfast that next morning. In his more vulnerable state, Merlin takes this as a proper answer. The night before certainly does have all the signs of a booty call.

He texts Arthur later that morning and doesn't receive a reply until later in the afternoon, which he finds very discouraging. Instead of moping he calls up Gwaine and they meet for lunch at a cafe around the corner. (Gwaine's apparently spent the night in Camden.)

"Does sound a bit like friends with benefits," Gwaine says, when asked about Merlin's relationship. They're both digging into jacket potatoes, Gwaine's topped with an absurd amount of bacon and Merlin's with only beans. "You go out sometimes, but really only when it's convenient for him, you know?"

Someone who wasn't so discouraged would probably try to think more logically that Gwaine is not the best person to consult about romantic relationships. Besides, if Merlin would talk to Will about this he'd tell him to cut the thing off altogether. The only other friend he trusts is Freya and, admittedly, asking someone he dated for most of uni about his current love life is not the best move.

Merlin sighs before talking. "I like him. That's the problem. I just don't want to convince myself it's more than it is and then get my heart broken."

"Mate," Gwaine begins, with all the wisdom he can manage. "You're shagging a gorgeous, rich, successful bloke who occasionally buys you dinner and lets you use his flat. Make it last as long as you can."

"I know, I know I just..." Merlin pokes at his potato and sighs. "It would be so much easier if I knew what he wanted for sure."

"Have you ever tried asking outright?"

"I'm too afraid of the answer, to be honest."

"Worst case scenario he crushes your heart to bits. Metaphorically."

 

After another enjoyable but confusing booty call, Merlin decides to take matters into his own hands. He marches to Arthur's office on his lunch, determined to have a very serious talk. Instead, Arthur makes some comment about the desk that may not even be intended to be sexual and Merlin spends the second half of his break bent over it. The attraction between them is definitely there, but it's becoming more and more evident that for Arthur it may just be physical.

That weekend Arthur does ask Merlin out for drinks. They go to some high end cocktail bar where everything's poorly lit and they're relatively shoved into a back corner. It gives them privacy despite all the people milling about and the singer-songwriter music wailing overhead. They're two drinks in, just enough to have a pleasant buzz that would wear off by the time they go home, when Arthur leans in closer.

"You ready to head out?" he asks his hand resting on Merlin's thigh.

For some reason, to Merlin this feels like a point of no return. This is the first person in a long while he's felt like he could fall in love with and he's not going to let that slip away when he has the chance.

"Yes," Merlin answers, but pulls away. "And no. I think we need to talk first. Walk with me?"

Arthur hops off of his bar stool and gestures for Merlin to follow, they walk closely out of the bar, away from the noise, and into the streets. Now that it's properly spring, they stay warm enough in just their jackets. Arthur's pointedly not looking at him, so Merlin knows if he doesn't speak, they never will.

"I like you. A lot, but I'm starting to think you and I want very different things out of this," he begins. "And that's okay, but I'd really like to be on the same page."

"Different how, exactly?" Arthur asks after collecting his thoughts.

"Different like you call me when you want a shag and I would really like more nights like this...you know. Dates."

"Do you not want me to text you just for sex? I mean, I can stop doing that if it's not something you're into."

"No!" Merlin shakes his head. "I'm into it, that's not the problem. I just need to know that it isn't going to slowly turn into only that."

"You think I'm only seeing you for the sex."

"No- yes. Sort of? I'm trying not to think or assume anything but it's been a month and there's been no attempt to talk about what this is and what our goals are."

Arthur stops in his tracks, taking time to mull over what Merlin's said. "My goal is to spend as much time with you as possible, but I'm also a busy person. You know that. The best time to spend with someone I'm seeing is during the nighttime hours and much as I like you, which I do by the way, it's hard for me to commit. But I would like to work towards that a...longterm commitment."

"A sexual commitment?"

"An emotional commitment which hopefully will also include a sex life."

"So I'm your boyfriend?"

"You're somewhere between boyfriend and person I'm dating. Is there anything wrong with that?"

"No, nothing wrong with that."

Merlin shakes his head and then takes Arthur's face in his hands, kissing him. It's not the most romantic of conversations, but it's honest and he trusts Arthur. That night they go back to Arthur's flat and watch telly until Merlin falls asleep and Arthur all but carries him to bed. 

 

For the next two weeks, Arthur's very careful about how he spends time with Merlin. In the end, they still see each other a few times, which gives Merlin faith that Arthur really is serious about maybe one day getting serious. Then, of course, he gets the text asking to come over. Merlin finds he doesn't really mind that, and is looking forward to a good shag.

When he calls for Arthur to enter, as he's prone to do, Arthur steps in holding a bouquet of red and yellow tulips. Merlin's lips tug into a smile and he imagines briefly Mordred rummaging through piles and piles of flowers at a tube station to find the perfect arrangement.

"I know what you're thinking, and I picked these out myself." He hands the bouquet over before leaning in for a kiss. "I was out for some drinks with one of my best mates. You've met Leon, right?"

"The tall gingery bloke who comes in for lunch sometimes? Mhm." Merlin hasn't met many of Arthur's friends but he suspects that's more because Arthur doesn't have very many close friends (by choice) and they're all about as busy as he is.

"Leon apparently didn't know you didn't work for me anymore, so I told him that you had a new job and actually- well I told him you were my boyfriend and it felt so very natural. Like I was being a fool for having so many hangups. I'm committed to you, even if I keep acting like I'm not ready to be."

Merlin chuckles fondly and puts the flowers aside before placing a hand on Arthur's chest. "So I'm not just someone you're seeing or hooking up with?"

"You never were, but I think it's safe to say that I want you to be mine."

"Yours? Hmm. That's some caveman logic you've got going on there, Arthur. I mean I certainly never used the boyfriend word to my friends..."

"Please use it as freely as you want."

"Alright, but only since you insist."

"Speaking of caveman logic, I'm about three seconds away from throwing you over my shoulder and taking you to bed."

"Well, then, now's when I insist."

**Author's Note:**

> These first three have been very Merthur heavy for the sake of build-up and the intention of this -verse is definitely Merthur focused, but get ready for some other familiar faces!


End file.
